Emergency situations can be chaotic and overwhelming. The more decisions you can put on autopilot, the better.
Who should be contacted first if you are in an emergency?
If they aren’t available, who is a backup? These contacts should have a good understanding of your day-to-day life so they can step in and temporarily take over your main responsibilities.
Note, these emergency contacts are not necessarily the same as guardians.
Do you have kids or pets relying on you?
If you are incapacitated, you’ll want emergency service workers to know (1) you have kids or pets that need care and (2) who they can contact to provide that care.
If you find yourself in an emergency, you’ll likely be occupied. Who can you call to immediately take care of your kids and/or pets? For example, maybe your kids need to be picked up from school in a few hours. Or maybe your pets are home alone and need to be let out and fed before the day is over.
We can’t shield our kids (or pets) from every scary situation, but having a simple plan ahead of time, plus at least one familiar face in what might be a sea of strangers will offer comfort.
Write down the name of the person you trust (or use the printable below). Also, consider listing these people as emergency contacts in your phone.